subject passively. After a time he unglued his thick lips to ask
me if I had seen his brother yet. I was very curt in my answer.

"No, not yet."

"A very different person," he remarked dreamily and got up. His
movements were particularly noiseless. "Well--thank you, Captain.
If anything is not to your liking please mention it to your
steward. I suppose you will be giving a dinner to the office-
clerks presently."

"What for?" I cried with some warmth. "If I were a steady trader
to the port I could understand it. But a complete stranger! . . .
I may not turn up again here for years. I don't see why! . . . Do
you mean to say it is customary?"

"It will be expected from a man like you," he breathed out
placidly. "Eight of the principal clerks, the manager, that's
nine, you three gentlemen, that's twelve. It needn't be very
expensive. If you tell your steward to give me a day's notice--"

"It will be expected of me! Why should it be expected of me? Is
it because I look particularly soft--or what?

His immobility struck me as dignified suddenly, his imperturbable
quality as dangerous. "There's plenty of time to think about
that," I concluded weakly with a gesture that tried to wave him
away. But before he departed he took time to mention regretfully
that he had not yet had the pleasure of seeing me at his "store" to
sample those cigars. He had a parcel of six thousand to dispose